Emmerdale's Charity is to give barmaid Louise Appleton a fake alibi to
cover the night on which she accidentally killed her stalker boyfriend
Ray Mullan.

Charity (Emma Atkins) believe she is helping Louise (Emily Symons) in her
bid to avoid a murder charge, but detectives see through the tale and charge
Louise, according to the Daily Star.

" Perhaps Louise should have just told police the truth instead of covering
up what happened and trying to make the death look accidental," an Emmerdale
insider told the newspaper.

" She would probably have been able to plead self-defence given the ordeal
Ray put her through. Now it doesn't look good at all for her."

Louise also has to face Ray's criminal friends who arrive in Emmerdale
wanting answers as to how he died.

" They make it a frightening time," the insider added.

Charity's
secret daughter -
Debbie Jones?

During the week beginning 14th
October 2002 Charity revealed to her sister-in-law Zoe that
she had a child some years ago that she had given up for
adoption. Three months later it would be revealed that
Charity had the child when she was thirteen, 13 years ago.
The father being her cousin Cain
Dingle Cain does
not know he is the father at this present time.

The girl, turned out to be
called Debbie Jones and first showed up in Emmerdale on Christmas
Eve 2002 as a foster daughter for Emily and Paddy Kirk for
a few days. No one then knew of her true identity.

When Debbie re-appeared in
January 2003, she revealed to Cain Dingle that she was adopted
and showed him a photo. Over time the whole sorry story has
come out.

CHARITY is shocked when Cain confronts
her with proof that Debbie is her long-lost daughter.

He forces Charity to return the deeds
to the Dingles’ home after showing her Debbie’s
precious photo of her. Charity hopes this means Chris will
never discover her dark secret, but Debbie wants to meet
her mother and the truth comes out anyway.

“Charity is stunned when she sees
herself aged 13,” says Emma Atkins, who plays the reluctant
mother. “It brings it all back and she knows that Cain
has won this battle.

“She insists to Chris that everything
is all right after Cain leaves but she’s shattered.

“Charity admits to Zoe that Debbie
really is her daughter and she recalls the agony of giving
birth at 13. Her friend Pat came to her rescue and registered
the baby in her name.”

Charity realises that she has to give
the deeds back to an overwhelmed Lisa who is delighted that
Charity has seen sense.

“But then she has to tell Chris
what she has done,” says Emma. “He’s furious
but she explains that Cain was spreading rumours about her.

“She has to admit to Chris that
Cain is saying Debbie is her daughter but she insists it’s
not true, which surprises Zoe.”

Chris visits the Dingles’ and
orders Cain to keep his lies to himself. But Charity’s
torment it not over. Debbie turns up at Home Farm.

“Charity is totally speechless
at first,” says Emma. “Then she tries to tell
Debbie that Cain is lying and she is not her mother.

“Chris backs her up, but Zoe can’t
stand what she is hearing and explains to Debbie that Charity
really is her mother.

“Chris sees from the look on Charity’s
face that it’s true. He’s devastated and so is
Charity. She thinks this could be the end.”

Chris angrily turns on Charity and demands
to know if Debbie’s father was one of her ‘clients’.
She pleads with him that she was only 13 when it happened.

But Chris feels betrayed. He can’t
believe that Charity was such a convincing liar and wonders
what else she’s lied about.

“Charity tells Debbie that she
was forced to give her up because she was so young,” says
Emma. “She insists Debbie’s father is dead.

“Debbie is desperate to tell foster
parents Paddy and Emily that she has found her mother, but
Charity tries to explain to her daughter that they have to
keep it a secret.

“Charity warns Debbie that Pat
might get into trouble with the authorities if the truth
comes out.

“Charity simply refuses to let
herself become emotional. She doesn’t want Debbie in
her life and she takes her home and coldly tells Chris that
Debbie won’t trouble the Tates.”

But Debbie is determined to bond with
her mother and skips school to spend time with her even though
Charity refuses to respond.

News comes through that Pat has taken
a turn for the worse in hospital and Emily takes Debbie off
to see her.

“Charity is very shaken by Debbie’s
arrival,” says Emma. “But she refuses to show
any of her feelings.

“She can’t turn the clock
back and she loves the life she has now as the lady of Home
Farm. Charity doesn’t want anything to take that away
from her, not even a daughter.”

Thursday | 06.03.03

Charity and Debbie aren't the happiest mother and daughter on-screen.

Unable to cope with the guilt of her decision to have the
youngster adopted, Charity is pushing her distraught daughter
further away.

Actress Emma Atkins, who plays the confused Charity, hopes
that the way Emmerdale has tackled the storyline reflects the
experiences of those who've really been through it.

She says, "It is an all too real storyline for some people
who have given their children up for adoption, only for them
to then want to get in touch.

"Mothers who give up their children for adoption do it
for a variety of reasons and I wouldn't ever sit in judgement
on the rights and wrongs of doing that.

"One of the reasons that this particular storyline has
worked well is the amazing performance of Charley Webb, who
plays Debbie. She has been amazing, simply stunning and I have
grown very close to her, she's a great actor and a lovely girl."

Tuesday | 25.03.03

Cain is ready to sink low to hurt cousin Charity.
The Emmerdale badboy will reveal Charity's past as a prostitute to
her daughter Debbie, straining relations between the pair to breaking
point.

Debbie has been struggling to win Charity's affections and
finally they are starting to accept each other. But jealous
Cain can't control his bitter feelings towards his cousin and
decides to stick the knife into both her and Debbie with his
revelation.

To make matters worse he chooses Mother's Day to spill the
beans.

But the brooding Dingle better be prepared because Charity
has her own secret to tell.

An Emmerdale insider feels sorry for poor Debbie who is caught
in this vicious crossfire. "Only Cain could pick such
a special day to tell a young girl the mum she has only just
found was a hooker. Debbie so wants to be part of Charity's
life and this knocks her sideways."

And all this trouble mongering is bound to bring Cain's day
of reckoning even closer: "Debbie is left wondering if
her father was one of Charity's punters. The crushing irony
is her father is the person who is pouring the poison. Cain
doesn't know the truth, but soon will when Charity hears what
he's done."

TROUBLED teen Debbie faces yet another
problem this week when an older boy comes on strong after
she sneaks out to a party at the Marsdens’.

Cain comes to the rescue and takes her
home, only for the youngster to be caught in the growing
feud between foster mother Emily and Charity, her real mum.

“It’s no wonder Debbie’s confused,” says
Charley Webb, who plays the 14-year-old. “Emily is thoughtful
and kind, but Charity is glamorous and rich and seems more
exciting.”

Debbie is desperate to go to the Marsden
kids’ party.
While Emily says she is too young, Charity admits she would let her
go.

“Debbie sneaks out of the house and
goes anyway,” says Charley.

“The party is really rocking but an
older boy starts coming on to her and she doesn’t know how
to handle it. She yells and Cain comes out of nowhere and
drags the lad off her. Debbie is scared and she’s really
grateful. Then Cain takes her home and Emily is furious.”

Emily tells Debbie that she is grounded,
but Charity is more sympathetic and advises her on how to
handle men who won’t take no for an answer.

Later, a row breaks out when Emily says
Debbie can’t go on a trip to Leeds with Charity.

Debbie rushes to her room in tears but
Emily is even more upset and tells Paddy it would be better
if Debbie left the village and is cared for by another family.

CHARITY begins at Home Farm this week when Mrs Tate takes
the surprising decision to give her daughter Debbie a home.

Foster mum Emily says she can’t look after Debbie any more,
and the youngster is devastated. Her birth mother, Charity,
has preferred a more distant relationship with the child she
gave away as a baby, but she can’t bear the thought of Debbie
in a children’s home.

“Charity can’t believe that Emily has sent her daughter Debbie
packing,” says Emma Atkins, who plays Charity.
“She demands to know what is going on and has a row with Emily for giving up
on Debbie.”

Emily insists she can’t look after Debbie properly
with her real mum interfering all the time. She says
she only sent the troubled teenager back to social services because
the situation had become unbearable.

Charity Tate has to face up to her parental responsibilities.
The reluctant mum has begun to enjoy spending time with daughter
Debbie Jones – but now the youngster is going back into care.

Foster parents Paddy and Emily Kirk have decided they can
no longer cope with the heartbreak and jealousy caused by the
renewed relationship between the pair. When Charity discovers
their decision she goes ballistic and has a furious row with
the couple.

However, only Charity herself can mend the situation – but
will she decide that it is time to welcome Debbie into Home
Farm?

Emma Atkins – who plays Charity – is convinced she will do
the right thing.

She says, “At first Charity found the prospect of being a
mother very daunting. She just wanted Debbie out of her life.
But now there is a bond growing between them, and Charity is
taking responsibility for her actions at last.”

Emmerdale bad boy Cain Dingle is playing at being dad.
Roguish Cain has delighted at the news he is the father of Charity
Tate’s daughter Debbie as he can now make mischief.

Debbie is delighted that her real dad is taking such an interest
in her. The young girl has spent years feeling isolated from
her real family and now she lives in the splendour of Tate
Farm and is in regular contact with Cain.

But Charity is convinced that her former lover is only interested
in making life as difficult for her and her husband Chris.
So she decides to encourage the strengthening bond between
the pair – in the hope Cain will get bored of his new
parental responsibilities.

However, Debbie seems to be responsible for thawing the ice-cold
hearts of both her Dingle parents. Cain shows no signs of being
fed up with having his daughter around.

Cain Dingle sows the seeds of discontent in the Tate household in
Emmerdale by manipulating his daughter Debbie.

Debbie goes for her first official access visit to her father much
to the distress of Charity.
And Cain, played by Jeff Hordley, does his best to worsen the domestic
disharmony.
First he grills Debbie about life at Home Farm and can't hide his
delight when she tells him of the tension he is causing between Charity
and Chris.

Then he deliberately keeps Debbie late and forces Charity to come
and collect her. As a result Chris is late for an important business
dinner.

There's a furious row and Debbie is ordered to bed. Eventually Debbie
apologises and promises to come home on time in future. Calmness
seems to be returning to Home Farm - then Cain turns up.

" Cain learns about Debbie being scolded and is furious that Chris has that
kind of power over his daughter," Jeff told the TV Times.

" He turns up at Home Farm and lectures Chris and Charity. Then he makes
a jibe which casts aspersions on Chris's manhood.

" Chris explodes and demands Terry turf Cain out. As far as he's concerned,
Debbie's father or not, Cain will never set foot in his house again."

Cain Dingle is making live at Tate Farm very hard.
Cain is delighted that daughter Debbie has taken such a shine to
him because it gives him an excuse to make trouble.

And Debbie's mother Charity and her husband Chris are just
about at the end of their tethers with the local bad boy.

Keeping things civil between the three adults has been a struggle,
but Debbie's devotion to all three has led them to try and
be reasonable. But Cain is determined to push the pair as far
as he can by undermining their authority.

Tonight, Charity reluctantly allows Debbie to spend the afternoon
with Cain, only for him to bring her back hours late. The disruption
affects an important business dinner and soon the Tates are
at loggerheads.

Emma Atkins, who plays Charity, explains, "Cain is just
a troublemaker and he's got it in for Charity because of their
past - he torments her and Chris in so many ways.

"He even has the cheek to lecture them about arguing
in front of Debbie! It really is a case of the pot calling
the kettle black, but Cain doesn't care, he will say anything
to try and make Debbie turn her back on Chris and Charity."

Cain Dingle goes too far in a fight
with Charity.

The Emmerdale rogue gets into a slanging
match with his one time lover over their daughter Debbie
and it ends in tears.

Charity is getting sick of having to
include Cain as part of her plans for her daughter’s
life. His unreasonable attitude and desire to cause a rift
between her and husband Chris Tate is getting too much for
her to bear.

So she decides to get legal help to
keep him away. Unfortunately, as far as the law is concerned
Cain is totally within his rights to be close to Debbie.

Frustrated Charity starts a row with
Cain and all sorts of home truths come out. And before long
so do Cain’s fists. Much to the distress of Debbie,
who has witnessed the whole thing.

Actress Emma Atkins – who plays
Charity – says, "All Debbie has ever dreamed of
is having a secure family. But what she has got is two parents
who act like children – bickering, screaming and constantly
fighting over her and she absolutely hates it."

EVENTS at Home Farm threaten to spiral out of control as Cain
slaps Charity in a furious row over Debbie.

The poor girl is so traumatised by her parents’ bitter
battles that she runs in front of Cain’s car to try to
end it all.

Cain and Charity realise they have to call a truce or lose
their daughter altogether. But that shatters Chris, who becomes
convinced Charity is using him.

"It’s a living nightmare," says Emma Atkins,
who plays Charity Tate. "Cain knows how to cause trouble,
but when he slaps her it sparks a terrible chain of events.
Charity lashes back and a fight breaks out. But in their fury
they forget about Debbie and they’re horrified to see
her rush off in tears."

Cain and Charity drive around searching desperately for Debbie,
and they have to brake hard to avoid hitting her when she dashes
out in front of the car. She tells Cain she wishes she were
dead and runs off again.

"Cain and Charity catch up with her eventually," says
Emma. "She sobs that she hates them both and wants to
go back into care. They both realise then that the aggro between
them has to stop."

But Chris later sees the mark on Charity’s face and
reports Cain to the police. He is arrested for assault and
Chris is delighted.

"Chris quickly tells Debbie and she is really upset again," says
Emma. "As Debbie’s welfare is the most important
thing to her, Charity drops the charges against Cain, even
though she knows this will anger Chris.

"Later, Cain apologises and he and Charity reach an uneasy
truce in the best interests of their daughter. Charity knows
Chris is jealous and angry but she just can’t please
everyone."

Chris smoulders with a cold fury and reveals to Terry that
he would like to kill Cain if he thought he could get away
with it, and that Charity never told him she loved him on their
wedding day. Chris becomes increasingly convinced that Charity
is using him.

Debbie Jones is in a state of emotional turmoil tonight.

The schoolgirl is reeling after witnessing a violent row between
parent’s Cain Dingle and Charity Tate – and she’s
blames them both.

Debbie has been struggling to cope ever since it was revealed
that Cain was her father. She tried to bond with both her mum
and dad – but their mutual hatred has put a strain on
her.

After reluctantly returning to Home Farm following a dramatic
showdown with her parents, Debbie can take no more heartache.

However, Charity needs to hold her relationship with furious
husband Chris Tate together. She decided to report Cain for
assaulting her and now she is dreading the task of telling
Debbie he was arrested.

And she was right to worry. Chris gleefully tells Debbie that
Cain is behind bars and provokes a fiery reaction from her.

She rushes to confront her mother and they have the worst
row of their entire relationship.

Emmerdale tycoon Chris Tate has doubts about his wife Charity.

Relations between them are getting worse by the day and Chris
wonders if all Charity wants is his money, home and status.

Chris has felt insecure in the relationship ever since he
married the former call girl. The day of their wedding, Charity
told Chris she didn't love him but insisted he was the one
for her.

But this is not enough for Chris. He is devoted to his flighty
spouse and has proved his love by welcoming her daughter Debbie
into their family. But after Charity drops the criminal charges
against Debbie's dad Cain, Chris fears the worst.

Devoid of any real friends in the village, Chris turns to
chauffeur Terry Woods for some advice. Terry is shocked by
the confessional nature of their conversation.

He is equally astounded when Chris tells him the truth about
Charity's lack of love for him. In the heat of the moment Chris
tells Terry that the only thing stopping him getting rid of
Cain for good is the threat of prison.

Cain causes trouble for Charity and Chris when he gets involved
in a heated row over Debbie playing truant from school.

Chris is seething when Cain and Charity talk over Debbie’s
problems with her headteacher. And he’s more upset when
Debbie demands a day out with just Cain and Charity before
she’ll agree to toe the line.

The week opens with Charity receiving a phone call from the
school about Debbie’s skiving.

“Charity finds Debbie at the Dingles’ house when
she should be at school,” says Emma Atkins, who plays
the mixed-up mum.

“And she has a real go at Cain. But when Charity and
Chris go in to see the head, Cain turns up and Chris gets pushed
out.

“It’s a nightmare situation but Charity wants
to do the best by her daughter, and she seems to be tearing
herself in two trying to keep everyone happy.

“She can see Chris is getting more upset by the situation,
but there’s nothing she can do.”

Debbie’s day trip deal is accepted, but Chris tries
to persuade Charity and Debbie to go to EuroDisney instead
of to the Yorkshire Moors with Cain.

Emmerdale rogue Cain Dingle has a plan up his sleeve.

The scheming bad boy has decided to stage a family outing
with ex-love Charity and daughter Debbie at a very special
spot.

The move comes after weeks of plotting by Cain in an effort
to infuriate Charity and her rich husband Chris.

Cain is furious that Charity kept the secret of daughter Debbie’s
existence from him for all these years and is determined to
make her life as difficult as possible. And his strange choice
of location for the get together horrifies Charity.

Crafty Cain has picked the secluded spot where he and Charity
lost their virginity to each other – knowing the effect
it will have on his lost love.

And despite her apparent hatred for hunky Cain, actress Emma
Atkins – who plays Charity – is convinced that
some deep feelings remain between the pair.

She confides, “There is definitely a sexual chemistry
between them. Cain does it to get a rise out of Charity, which
infuriates her.

“The place brings back a lot of memories for her, but
she just wants to move on with her life. The trip is just about
Cain playing games with her feelings.”

Emmerdale’s Debbie Jones decides it’s time to leave Tate
Farm.
The insecure school girl is sick of being the target of stepfather
Chris Tate’s rage as the situation at home gets worse.

Much to mum Charity’s distress, Debbie has chosen to
move in with her father Cain Dingle - a decision likely to
cause even more conflict.

Desperate Charity will do anything to keep her daughter close
to her but when she appeals to her wealthy husband for help,
he shoots her down.

Charity knows that allowing Debbie to live with Cain will
force her to be around her former lover much more. With the
reawakened feelings between them, Charity is struggling to
stop herself from falling into Cain’s arms again.

But despite his own fears about the developing relationship
between his glamorous wife and his nemesis Cain, Chris is consumed
by trying to exact his revenge on Scott Windsor.

EMMERDALE

Weekdays ITV1

JEALOUS husband Chris pushes Charity into the arms of her
former lover Cain. The pair kiss - and their delighted daughter
Debbie sees them!

Charity can’t believe it when Terry reveals that Chris
intends to have Cain beaten up. She rushes to warn Cain and
the two share an impulsive kiss as she struggles to convince
him to take the threat seriously.

“She regrets it as soon as it happens,” says Emma
Atkins, who plays the tempestuous Mrs Tate.

Fearing Debbie could get caught up in the violence, Charity
begs Chris to call off his heavies. She tells him that she
loves him and says if he loved her, he would do as she asks.
He reluctantly agrees.

“But then Charity gets another surprise when Debbie
reveals she saw the kiss,” says Emma. “Charity
is horrified, and she makes her daughter promise to keep it
a secret. Charity knows that Chris would go off the deep end
if he found out.

“Poor Debbie thinks her parents are going to get back
together. Charity assures her this will never happen, but she’s
not quite as certain about that as she sounds.”

Emmerdale youngster Debbie Jones feels isolated in her own home.

The schoolgirl is sick of being the recipient of step-father Chris
Tate's fury as the accusations fly over who hurt baby Jean.

Despite having the full support of mum Charity, Debbie is
distraught that Chris could even think that she could have
done anything to hurt his tiny niece.

Predictably, Debbie runs to her erstwhile father, Cain Dingle,
as the bad atmosphere gets too much for her. Cain is stunned
that Debbie wants to get away from her life of luxury at Tate
Farm and demands to know what is wrong.

And as soon as he discovers the truth, Cain marches round
to confront his nemesis.

Debbie – who already worships her father – is
delighted at how quickly Cain has jumped in to protect her.
It sets her thinking that perhaps life with her mum and Chris
is not what she really wants.

Charity and Cain are about to take
their relationship further.

The former lovers have been growing
steadily closer as they both try to forge a new bond with
young daughter Debbie Jones.

Ever since they both arrived in the
village, Charity and Cain have made their distaste for each
other abundantly clear. But there’s a fine line between
love and hate - and it looks like the Dingle cousins are
about to cross it.

Tonight, Charity is shocked to learn
that wealthy husband Chris has ordered his employee Terry
Woods to beat up Cain. Realising her spouse’s spiralling
jealousy could have a devastating effect on her schoolgirl
daughter, Charity frantically searches for the pair to prevent
the incident.

When she finds them, Cain ridicules
her concern and a furious argument erupts, which ends in
a passionate kiss.

Emma Atkins, who plays Charity, explains, “She
is so confused, she wants to hate Cain but the old feelings
are still there - and they end up kissing.

“Debbie, whose witnessed the kiss,
is delighted to see her mum and dad together, but Charity
begs the girl not to tell anyone else. Debbie agrees, but
deep down she hopes her parents will be reunited.”

PASSIONS rise to boiling point as headstrong
Charity plunges into a torrid affair with childhood sweetheart
Cain.

She feels rejected by husband Chris,
who is reeling from the traumatic news that he has a brain
tumour.

Chris has been in Leeds for a brain
scan, but even when he gets the results and finds out he
has the tumour and needs a biopsy, he still can’t come
clean to his wife.

He tells Charity he will be remaining
in the city "on business", without knowing that
this rejection is the spark for his beautiful wife to fling
herself into the arms of another man.

"Feelings between Charity and Cain
have been building for weeks," says Emma Atkins, who
plays the feisty Mrs Tate.

"She calls Chris and pleads with
him to pay her some attention, but he just says he has to
stay in Leeds for business. That’s it for Charity and
she rushes round and jumps into bed with Cain.

"She knows it’s wrong but
she is hurt and lonely and she fancies Cain. He makes her
feel young again."

In Leeds, Terry struggles to comfort
a devastated Chris, who faces the further tests totally unaware
that, back at home, he has just triggered his own worst nightmare.

"Charity just can’t get enough
of Cain," says Emma. "I think the affair comes
as a sort of release for her and she abandons herself to
her emotions. She is hurt when Cain reminds her of the time
when men paid her for sex, but she’s soon back in his
arms."

Chris returns to Emmerdale and at the
end of the week he gets the results of the biopsy - and the
news that he has only a few months to live.

"Charity hasn’t got any idea
what Chris has been going through," says Emma. "She
is wrapped up in her own little world right now.

"When Charity finally does meet
up with Chris again, she has had far too much to drink and
she is much too interested in covering her own tracks to
notice there is anything wrong with her husband."

Emmerdale lovers Charity and Cain Dingle have reignited their passion.

The kissing cousins are back in the throws of a torrid affair
after finally confessing their true feelings for each other
yesterday.

Tragically, Charity - who has jumped into Cain's arms after
feeling rejected by husband Chris - has no idea that while
she is in bed with Cain, ailing Chris is undergoing life-saving
surgery.

The jealous businessman has discovered he has a brain tumour
and that it could be fatal. However, despite the looming disaster
of Chris' medical woes, the temperamental twosome are already
facing a crisis in their rekindled romance after Cain makes
a rude comment to his belle.

Emma Atkins - who plays confused Charity - explains, "They're
in bed when Cain makes a jibe about paying for her services.
She's absolutely furious because she's finally let her guard
down, and then Cain hits her where it really hurts. Before
he can apologise she's straight out of the door."

Emmerdale lovers Cain and Charity Dingle are playing with fire.

The lusty twosome are continuing their
torrid love affair with little discretion and people are
starting to notice the bond between them.

Charity's terminally ill husband Chris
Tate already suspects that the relationship between his wife
and Cain has become sexual. At present, Charity and people
around him are brushing off his fears as paranoia.

But despite her insistence that nothing
is going on, Charity keeps playing dangerous games by entertaining
Cain at Home Farm. The secret couple are nearly caught in
the act when during a raunchy encounter, a surveyor turns
up for a meeting with the blonde businesswoman early.

As if their near miss wasn't bad enough,
others close to them have their theories on why the former
enemies are now getting along.

Cain's step mum Lisa Dingle arrives
back from holiday with their daughter Debbie and immediately
wonders why the atmosphere has thawed between them.

Emmerdale love cheat Charity Tate decides to end her affair.

The blonde bombshell has been seeing cousin Cain behind husband
Chris' back but wants to give her ailing marriage one more
chance.

However, despite Charity's new resolution, her hunky lover
has no intention of allowing the love of his life to escape
from him once again.

Cain has already spilled the beans to their delighted daughter
Debbie, who remains convinced her parents will be reconciling
for good. In a moment of elation Debbie talks to Charity about
how wonderful it would be for the three of them to be together
but her confused mother is horrified.

Charity realises that despite her love for Cain she can never
go back to her old life and immediately sets off to tell him
their affair is over.

But when she reaches Cain he refuses to agree to her demand
and plants a passionate kiss on her - not realising that her
husband Chris is watching from afar.

Peter Amory - who plays the cuckold spouse - explains, "Although
Chris has been suspicious , it's still a shock when he sees
them together. If he'd have stayed longer, he would have seen
Charity push Cain away and leave him, but just watching them
kiss is the final straw."

Emmerdale's Chris Tate prepares to exact his revenge on Charity.

The terminally ill businessman has no intention of allowing
his love cheat wife to inherit her vast fortune after her shocking
betrayal.

Aware that his brain tumour is becoming more fatal by the
day, Chris wastes no time in setting divorce proceedings in
motion and tells his solicitor in no uncertain terms that he
wants Charity to be left penniless.

The disloyal businesswoman has no idea what her wheelchair-bound
husband is plotting behind her back. After he discovered she
had been sleeping with cousin Cain Dingle, Chris resolved not
to tell his errant spouse that he only has weeks left to live.

Instead, Chris is playing Charity at her own game by letting
her try to patch up their marriage, while knowing their is
no possibility of a happy ending.

When Charity greets Chris on his return home from the solicitors
with a hot meal and promises of a brighter future for them,
he plays along.

DYING millionaire Chris Tate spends one last night with his
cheating wife Charity - then drops the bombshell that he is
divorcing her and wants her out of Home Farm.

Furious, Charity lashes out at Chris, which just makes him
even more determined to leave her penniless.

"It’s a chilling discovery for Charity," says
Peter Amory, who, as crippled Chris, is terminally ill with
a brain tumour. "Chris is consumed by a cold hatred of
the woman he loved and he is determined to leave her with nothing."

After he calls in his lawyer to discuss the divorce, Chris
realises he will have to go on a spending spree to stop Charity,
who has been having an affair with Cain, getting his money.

"He starts by buying Charity and Cain’s daughter
Debbie a horse," says Peter. "This makes Charity
think he is really making an effort with their relationship.

"Terry advises him to come clean with Charity about the
divorce but that’s too easy for Chris. He tells Charity
he is buying a helicopter and that he’s got another present
arriving in the morning.

"An excited Charity thinks he wants a proper reconciliation
and they spend the night together. But the next day, he hits
her with the news that he has booked a luxury holiday for Zoe,
Jean, himself and Joseph. She’s not coming because he
wants a divorce!"

Charity is outraged but Chris taunts her further. "He
wants to hurt Charity so he tells her she is penniless and
he wants her to leave Home Farm - now!" continues Peter.

His harsh words hit her hard and after one vicious remark
too many, Charity loses the plot and attacks him, forcing Chris
to call out to Terry to pull her off him.

Later, Chris finally tells his sister Zoe that he is dying.
He also changes his will to leave everything to Zoe and makes
her his son Joseph’s legal guardian.

"Chris wants to get everything sorted out before he dies," says
Peter. "He tries to stay unemotional but it’s a
terrible time for him. He’s determined to make Charity
pay for what she has done."

Charity is devastated. But she’s sure that he can’t
leave her with nothing in a divorce. As revenge, she has a
passionate reunion with Cain. They book into a hotel and order
champagne on Chris’s credit card. But will Chris get
the better of his wayward wife?

There are scorch-marks across the carpets of Home Farm as
ruthless Chris puts his wheelchair into overdrive in his race
against time to commit a devastating act of retribution.

Never has the expression 'money can't buy you love' been more
appropriate than when it concerns the millionaire Lord Tate
and his lady of the night, cheating Charity. But his wealth
can certainly pay for revenge.

In the most explosive, thrilling and sensational story in
soapland at the moment, the terminally-ill businessman spares
no expense as he deviously sets about ridding himself of his
harlot of a wife.

With the effects of his brain tumour now apparent and his
speech impaired, Chris is desperately fighting his own death
sentence as he plots that of Charity.

Having lost his nerve to gun her down last week, and with
her "bit of rough" lover Cain narrowly escaping injury
in the hit and run he arranged, Chris secretly seals their
fate. And his bitter words hang ominously in the air. "One
thing I can guarantee," he vows. "I'm not gunna be
a good memory for her."

As a remorseful Charity settles back into their mansion with
daughter Debbie, blindly believing her betrayed husband is
trying to give their marriage one last chance, Chris is planning
to divorce and disinherit her.

First, there is one final encounter under the duvet for the
condemned man before he reveals the bad news to the former
sleeper.

"You and the brat have had your last freebie," he
tells Charity. "The gravy train's stopped... I've devised
a new game. It's called Tate Loot. You're on the square that
says, 'Go directly to hell. Do not pass Home Farm. Do not collect
a brass farthing...'

"You'll probably need to go back to your old job. I'll
make a start by paying you for last night. Have you got change
for a fiver?"

No, but her threepenny bits are in danger of popping out as
she angrily delivers a bunch of fives, attacking Chris in his
chariot and screaming, "I'll kill him!"

As always, faithful manservant Terry is there to haul her
off. "The boss picked you out of the gutter," he
gasps as they grapple, "but that's obviously where you
belong."

With Charity scuttling off to that thug Cain like a farmyard
rat, even her sister-in-law and former lesbian lover Zoe has
little sympathy. "You callous, evil pregnant dog," she
accuses. But Charity is wise to her hypocrisy. "You weren't
complaining when it were your turn," she hisses.

Chris, however, is so dishonest he'd steal the shillings off
a dead man's eyes and he is putting a far more dangerous plan
into action.

EMMERDALE is on fire at the moment - and not because one of
its notorious Everyone-Must-Go culls is underway.

While EastEnders and Coronation Street have become a combination
of the laboured and the ludicrous, Emmerdale has been doing
what it does best - indulging in a storyline of rampant lust
and bitterness, despair and destruction. It's sex and death:
Dangerous Liaisons with sheep.

Basically the producers have bet all their chips on one storyline,
around four characters: Cain and Charity, Chris Tate and his
faithful manservant Terry.

Chris who - besides being in a wheelchair - was diagnosed
with a brain tumour, at precisely the moment Charity was playing
doctors and nurses with Cain. Chris, who dare not tell his
sister Zoe, the recently diagnosed schizophrenic, that he has
been suffering headaches and now fears going blind or his son
Joseph seeing him "on the floor having a fit".

But apart from all that, things aren't that bad.

Here's how the week progressed.

Monday

FEELING guilty, Charity resolves to cheer up Chris in the
only way she knows how. To help finish Charity's marriage,
Cain recruits Charity's daughter, 13-year-old Debbie, fathered
by Cain when they were young. (Before being re-united with
Charity recently, Debbie was being fostered - by vets.)

"Your mother's a simple soul," Cain tells Debbie.

"Seven bedrooms and a Jacuzzi and she's anybody's." Choice.

Tuesday

CHRIS feels hurt when Charity tells him his failure to 'perform'
the night before was "nothing".

Emmerdale's Cain Dingle is finding his temper impossible to control.

Although, Cain knew that the consequences of their actions
would be severe, he was convinced that Charity would divorce
Chris and get half his money.

But the wily twosome have no idea that Chris is dying and
is determined to ensure Charity doesn't get a penny of his
fortune. Having already maxed out her credit cards and revoked
all her money, Chris has ruined Charity's future.

Pleased with his progress, Chris decides to have a quiet drink
in the Woolpack and bumps into his love rival. In an effort
to throw Cain off guard, Chris makes a spiteful comment about
Cain and Charity's daughter Debbie, saying she too will end
up a prostitute like her mother.

Cain's violent and furious reaction is no surprise to the
villagers but when the hot headed local threatens to kill Chris
everyone is shocked.

Emmerdale's Charity Tate thinks her
floundering marriage can be saved.

Charity has been astonished by wealthy
husband Chris' decision to divorce her and leave her penniless
after she cheated with cousin Cain.

However, when she receives an unexpected
invitation to join her estranged husband at Home Farm, the
blonde bombshell is convinced that a reconciliation is just
around the corner.

But - as viewers are aware - Chris has
discovered he is dying of a brain tumour and plans to exact
a cruel revenge on his wayward wife. Having already spent
much of his fortune on extravagant items and passing custody
of son Joseph onto sister Zoe, Chris has one more disservice
to deal to his longtime love.

And as Charity confesses that she really
does love Chris to her daughter Debbie, the wheelchair-bound
businessman is putting a horrific plan into action which
is bound to claim at least one life.

The fatal situation intensifies as spurned
lover Cain, violent and heartbroken, decides to pay the Tate's
a visit.

Emmerdale's Charity Tate finds a friend in daughter Debbie Jones.

The troubled schoolgirl has been desperately worried about
her mum ever since she split from husband Chris Tate after
cheating with Cain.

Although Debbie dreamed about seeing her mum and dad reunited,
Cain's erratic behaviour has led her to conclude that Charity
may be better off with her wealthy spouse after all.

When Charity is invited to Home Farm for a drink, she is determined
to look her best in an effort to win Chris' heart again. But
money is a bit short for the onetime call girl, as her vengeful
husband has emptied her healthy bank accounts and maxed out
her credit cards.

Lamenting that she needs to improve her image to stand a chance
at rekindling her romance with Chris, Charity is stunned when
Debbie clears out her own bank account to help her wayward
mum.

But little do they know that while they are excitedly planning
Charity's new haircut, Chris is formulating his own itinery
for events.

THE tempestuous love triangle between Chris, Charity and Cain
leads to a death at Home Farm.

The soap’s producers are determined to keep exactly
who is killed a secret, but viewers can expect a memorable
week in the countryside saga.

"It all blows up. Something just has to give," says
Jeff Hordley, who plays Charity’s lawless lover Cain. "Cain
hates Chris with as much passion as he loves Charity. He vows
that if she goes back to her husband, he will kill both of
them."

The compelling week opens with dying Chris cruelly turning
the screw on his cheating wife.

When Charity, Cain and daughter Debbie go to check out of
their luxury hotel, they find Chris has cancelled all Charity’s
credit cards.

Deeply embarrassed, Charity is forced to leave her valuable
Cartier watch as a deposit until she can return with the money
to pay the bill.

She turns down Cain’s offer to stay at the Dingles’ and
rushes back to Home Farm, where after lunging furiously at
Chris, she is humiliated by his smug solicitor Rachel, who
calls the police to have her removed.

Homeless and broke, Charity begs Chloe to take her in for
the night.
Cain visits Chris at Home Farm and tells him they can get along fine
without his money, but later in the pub Chris sneers that Cain will
have to put young Debbie on the game.

"Cain goes mad," says Jeff. "He has been drinking
all day and he loses it and attacks Chris. But he’s dragged
off by the other regulars and Louise throws him out."

The next day, Chris invites Charity round to Home Farm to
talk, then prepares a deadly welcome for his wife by coating
a champagne glass with poison. Meanwhile, Cain is back at the
pub, telling Terry he intends to go after Chris.

"He promises that if Charity goes back to Chris, he will
kill them both," says Jeff. "And he means it."

Debbie gives her mother all the money from her savings account
so she can look her best for the showdown at the farm.

She lies to Cain that Charity has gone to the cinema with
Emily. But Cain forces the truth out of her and warns her he
would rather see Charity dead than back with Chris.

As Chris opens the bottle of bubbly, Cain arms himself with
a kitchen knife and drives furiously to Home Farm, vowing vengeance.

Death strikes, and afterwards, Cain races away and nearly
runs over Debbie before ordering his daughter to get into his
car.

Has Chris got his revenge on Charity, or the other way round?
Or has Cain carried out his threats against them both?

Charity Tate deals bad boy ex-lover Cain the ultimate disservice.

The grieving widow has gone through
hell as the police continue to try and find the killer of
her wealthy husband Chris.

But now, the former call girl is relieved
to discover that officers are starting to believe that she
played no part in the sudden demise of her estranged spouse
- and Charity is more than happy to give them another suggestion.

Cain has been missing ever since the
fateful night at Home Farm. He had stormed up to the house
to confront Charity and Chris - who he believed were on the
verge of reconciling - and had vowed to kill them both.

But when he arrived, Chris had already
put his elaborate suicide plan into action and the roguish
local tried to make it look like a break-in to rid his belle
of any blame.

However, Charity refused his offer of
an escape and he fled with their daughter Debbie. But now
that the cops are looking for a new suspect in the highly
dubious case, Charity - consumed by hate - tells them that
Cain is their man.

AS if sleeping with one of her cousins wasn’t bad enough,
Charity spends the night with another one!

This time, it’s lonely Marlon who drunkenly succumbs
to Charity’s charms as he comforts her after she is arrested
for murdering her husband Chris - though Marlon bitterly regrets
it once he sobers up.

When Charity is accused of killing Chris, she denies the charge,
laying the blame on ex-lover Cain. She is freed and the police
focus on finding Cain, but the experience leaves her shaken.

"Charity is not thinking straight at all," says
Emma Atkins, who plays mixed-up Mrs Tate. "In just a few
days, her life has collapsed. She has lost her home, her husband
and she faces losing her liberty."

Charity is absolutely terrified when she’s arrested
and she has no choice but to give Cain up.

"She blames him for it all," says Emma. "If
he hadn’t started the affair, Chris would be alive and
she’d still be the lady of Home Farm. Now she has nothing
and is living in a nightmare.

"Marlon offers her a shoulder to cry on. But with his
wife Tricia away, he is lonely and one thing leads to another
as they drink to try to forget their troubles."

The pair share a passionate embrace, then sleep together.
Later, Marlon is racked with guilt.

"He can’t believe what he has done, but Charity
isn’t interested in his guilt. She tells him it was just
a drunken fling and that he should get over it," says
Emma.

"Marlon moans that she seduced him but Charity couldn’t
care less about his feelings. She has much bigger worries of
her own."

Marlon's beloved wife Tricia is in Bollywood
fulfilling her dream career as an actress leaving Marlon
home alone and missing her desperately.

The kindly cook has always been a good
friend to those close to him and this week he provides a
shoulder to cry on for heartbroken cousin Charity. After
her husband Chris Tate's violent death and attempt to frame
her for murder, Charity is in trouble and Marlon is quick
to reassure her.

But as the night wears on both lonely
souls find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other and
the large amount of alcohol they have consumed fuels their
ardour.

Actor Mark Charnock explains, "Like
a typical man, Marlon is probably getting paranoid about
what Tricia is up to. She's been away for a while and Marlon
imagines she's surrounded by good looking men in Bollywood.

"Charity and Marlon drown their
sorrows and basically he gets drunk and then he gets seduced.
He wakes up in the morning and he is absolutely mortified
- completely full of horror."

Marlon is gripped with guilt after his one-night stand.

The dippy chef is utterly devoted to absent wife Tricia and
can't believe he has cheated on her with cousin Charity Tate.

When he wakes up after the boozy encounter with his blonde relative,
Marlon is distraught that he has misbehaved so badly. However,
Charity - who has much more pressing matters on her mind - disregards
his fears and tells him the episode was no big deal.

But the formally faithful husband is unable to shrug off his
intense guilt and starts to wonder if he has ruined his marriage
forever.

Actor Mark Charnock - who plays Marlon - explains, "Marlon
is convinced this has massive significance and can't forgive
himself for being unfaithful.

"He is racked with guilt, and being the sort of guy he
is, I can't believe he won't confess all to his wife. I'm sure
this will come back to haunt them, and will have a major effect
on their relationship."

CAIN and Charity BOTH end up in a jail
cell as life gets even worse for the Dingles of Emmerdale.

Cain (Jeff Hordley), is handed a 30-day
sentence for contempt of court after protesting Charity’s
innocence during her murder trial.

He tries to change an earlier statement,
then screams at the jury that Charity has been set up.

He insists Charity (Emma Atkins) did
NOT kill hubby Chris.

The judge sends him down amid uproar
in court.

ITV.COM True Lies

Thursday | 15.01.04

Emmerdale hunk Scott Windsor begins to doubt Charity Tate's guilt.

The onetime mechanic is horrified at the prospect that his
employer Zoe may be trying to frame her sister-in-law simply
out of spite.

Scott's suspicions are triggered when an increasingly desperate
Charity comes to see Zoe at Home Farm. Witnessing Zoe's harsh
treatment of her former lover, Scott is mystified as to why
there is such bad feeling between the pair.

And when Charity tells Scott that she believes the volatile
vet is deliberately trying to send her away for life, Scott
begins to wonder if she is right.

Having been framed by vengeful Chris Tate for rape, after
the late tycoon discovered that he fathered Zoe's baby during
a drunken one night stand, Scott is no stranger to injustice.

So when he quizzes Zoe and she coolly informs him that she
intends to punish Charity for wrecking her beloved brother's
life, Scott realises that there is every possibility that Charity
is innocent.

And with the tide turning on Zoe's hate campaign, is there
hope for Charity after all?

ITV.COM
Tate & Guile

Tuesday | 20.01.04

Emmerdale's Charity Tate is forced to take some drastic action.

The pregnant murder suspect faces a
bleak future as the second day of her trial dawns. But there
is one woman can help her.

Ever since her husband Chris Tate died
in mysterious circumstances, Charity has been convinced his
sister Zoe holds the key to her freedom. However, since vengeful
Chris masterminded a foolproof scheme to frame his cheating
wife, Zoe has been reluctant to believe that Charity didn't
poison her brother in order to get her hands on his money.

So far, bitter Zoe has refused to allow
pregnant Charity's pleas to move her - but a passionate moment
leads her to soften her stance.

Actress Emma Atkins, who plays desperate
Charity, explains, "Charity's main intention is to influence
Zoe's testimony by appealing to her better nature, but soon
changes her tactics.

"She tries to seduce Zoe and they
end up kissing! There is a chemistry between the pair, and
for Charity this could help swing Zoe into her favour for
the trial."

PREGNANT Charity collapses in prison and has to be rushed
to hospital for an emergency caesarean. She gives birth
three months early to a tiny baby boy who weighs just
2lbs 2oz.

"One minute she is talking to her solicitor about
her appeal and the next minute she’s being raced
into the operating theatre," says Emma Atkins, who
plays Charity.

Debbie and Zak dash to the hospital to be told that
the baby has breathing difficulties and is fighting for
its life in an incubator.

"Charity desperately wants her baby to pull through," says
Emma. "She knows it’s touch and go because
he is so premature, but she’s praying that he survives."

His birth immediately raises the question of who the
father is. Chris, Cain and Marlon are all possibilities.

And it’s not long before the news reaches Emmerdale.
Zoe insists the baby can’t be Chris’s, and
tells Scott she wants nothing to do with it, and Marlon
assures Paddy that Cain is the father.

"Charity’s emotions are churning," says
Emma. "If Chris is the father it could influence
Zoe’s actions, but Charity is close to Cain so
her feelings are divided. Marlon being the dad would
be a nightmare scenario."

Zak demands that Charity takes a paternity test to find
out once and for all who the dad is and he gets busy
organising it. Zoe agrees to take part, to see if there
is any Tate blood in the baby.

"Debbie is desperate for Cain to be told," says
Emma, "but Charity insists they wait until the next
day. She has a lot of thinking to do.

"Despite not having made up her mind, she tells
Debbie that she’s going to put the baby up for
adoption.

"Debbie is horrified at the news, but Charity tries
to explain that she can’t bring up a child in prison.
Her solicitor is not holding out much hope for her appeal."

Zak is appalled by Charity’s ‘decision’ and
tells her not to give up a baby that could be Cain’s
son and his grandson. Zak goes to prison to tell Cain
about Charity’s plans.

At the hospital, Debbie hassles Charity to name her
son. She decides to call him Noah, but is fighting hard
not to bond with him.

The convicted murderess - who is innocent of the crime
- is in a depressing appeal meeting with her pessimistic
solicitor when contractions begin.

Poor Charity has become more and more desperate as she
languishes in prison. After realising that few people
believe her story that husband Chris Tate framed her
for his murder, Charity is having to face up to a lifetime
behind bars.

And when she goes into labour at such an early stage,
Charity has to agree to have an emergency Caesarian birth
- putting both herself and her unborn baby in danger.

Actress Emma Atkins explains, "Charity is so dazed
and confused at this point that she doesn't really care
about having a Caesarian.

"There's no other option, so she just deals with
it. Afterwards the maternal instinct does kick in, and
she feels concerned for her son. But not in an intimate
way, just the way anybody would feel when they hear about
a child that has been born prematurely and is fighting
for its life."

The prospect of losing her new-born brother
prompts Charity Tate's teenage daughter Debbie to make
a heartfelt plea for her mum to keep the tot.

Debbie is over the moon that she's got
a new sibling, but her mum isn't so sure.

Emmerdale's Charity (Emma Atkins) has
given birth by emergency Caesarean after collapsing in
her prison cell where she's doing time for murdering hubby
Chris, although she's determined to clear her name.

She's rushed to hospital where she's
found to be suffering from pre-eclampsia - a potentially
fatal condition that can affect mother and child.

Charity's son is delivered three months
early, weighing just 2lbs 2oz and suffering from breathing
problems. He's then rushed away for special treatment.

But the ordeal doesn't change the new
mum's decision to give her baby up for adoption and daughter
Debbie's heartfelt pleas for her mum to keep him fall on
deaf ears.

Emma told Inside Soap magazine: "Charity
finds Debbie very annoying at his point. Debbie's delighted,
in the way that any big sister would be, and she just wants
to take the baby home.

"But Charity's having none of it, and
just wants to be left alone.

"They have rows about it and obviously
Charity is affected by what Debbie says, but she isn't
going to change her mind."

Charity's baby, Noah, faces a life or death situation. But
then arriving in a murderous clan like the Dingles was always
going to be risky. And any new-born who dared to cry when the
midwife smacked its backside was quickly branded a bit of a
wuss.

Three months premature, and barely 21 days old, the tiddler
weighs little more than a bag of sugar. Now he has the chance
to prove that, like the rest of them, he's as tough as old
boots. For he's diagnosed with a deadly illness which, if he
doesn't respond to medication, may require an operation with
only a 50-50 chance of survival.

FROM HERE TO PATERNITY: The Dingles hear Charity's DNA
news

That's the first bit of bad news. By Tuesday, there's worse.

His mother opens a letter that reveals a fate far worse than
death. For it contains the name of the child's father and,
from here on in, there are going to be Noah more secrets. And
this is an ominous Dingle summit, matched only by a hanging
judge gravely placing a black cap on his head as he passes
sentence.

The former happy hooker has narrowed down the dad to just
three likely suspects - her late husband Chris and cousins
Marlon and Cain. Still, you can't help but suspect it's a shortlist
based only on the names she could remember out of all the men
she has bedded.

As his identity is classified information under Soapland's
Official Secrets Act, you'll have to tune in to find out more.

But no matter who the father is, Charity has already decided
to have her child adopted - and this is a fraught and overcrowded
time.

The Prostitute Poisoner and jailbird Cain have a set of his
and hers matching prison guards in the hospital, and grieving
Marlon has brought along the ghost of his dead wife.

There's also an overdose of testosterone as the men get manly.

'What are you worried about?' Cain cruelly snaps. 'If the
kid lives, yer gunna give 'im away to a total stranger. And
if he snuffs it - end of problem. Can't lose, can yer?'

Marlon has also made a decision. 'If he pulls through,' he
announces hesitantly, 'well, there's a better than even chance
he's mine. I'm gunna adopt him.'

Then there's Charity's sister-in-law and former lesbian lover,
Zoe, standing by with a bag of cash and a place on the board
of Tate Haulage should Noah turn out to be her nephew.

'You know all about adoption,' Charity sneers, referring to
the time Zoe almost gave up her own daughter, Jean. 'He's goin'
to a loving family... Not a freak one like yours.'

After months of wondering, Charity finally finds out just
who is the father of her baby as the result of the paternity
test arrives.

That bombshell comes as Charity reels from the news that premature
Noah is so ill his chances of survival are only 50/50 and that
he might need surgery.

Zoe is sure that her late brother, Chris, is the dad, making
Noah a Tate. Cain is convinced the test will prove he is the
father, while grief-stricken Marlon worries it could be him.

"But Charity is more concerned with Noah's health," says
Emma Atkins, who plays Chris's jailbird widow. "She's
shocked when the doctors tell her Noah has necrotising entercolitis,
a condition which can sometimes affect premature babies.

"Noah needs antibiotics and an X-ray, and Charity is
distressed to hear they might have to operate, even though
he is so tiny."

Charity is distraught, and the Dingles hold a family vigil
at Noah's bedside. As if things weren't bad enough, Zoe racks
up the tension when she arrives to visit the baby she says
might be her nephew.

Zak tries to ring Cain to let him know what is happening,
but he gets into trouble for using a mobile phone in the hospital.

"The nurse says they will have to operate if Noah doesn't
improve soon," says Emma.

"The next day, the doctor says it looks as if there is
no alternative to an operation and Charity wonders if it is
worth putting Noah through such an ordeal. But the doctor insists
there is still hope."

Back at the Dingles', the results of the paternity test arrive.
Zak is about to rip the envelope open when Lisa tells him that
Charity should be first to read it. While the Dingles are on
their way over, Marlon arrives at the hospital to visit Noah,
much to Charity's surprise.

"They are just talking when Cain is brought in, handcuffed
to a guard," says Emma. "Typically, he starts a row
with Marlon as soon as he arrives.

"Marlon says that if Noah is his, he'll adopt him. Cain
then starts insisting that Noah is definitely his son and he's
not going to let anyone adopt him. But then Lisa, Zak and Debbie
arrive with the paternity test results. It's a major shock
for everyone when they discover who Noah's dad really is.

The convicted murderess has been allowed time
out of her cell to watch over her newborn son
Noah - who is very ill.

Thankfully for wrongly-imprisoned Charity, her
tiny tot has pulled through a difficult operation.
But his improvement means she will be back inside
imminently.

After the shock of the
revelation that late husband Chris fathered
little Noah, Charity hopes
the news will improve both her, and Noah’s, situation.
But with no new evidence, a successful appeal
looks an unlikely outcome.

Having gone through the emotional wringer this
week, Charity is not strong enough to face the
reality of her situation. Desperate to stay by
her sick baby, Charity puts up a fight when officers
arrive to collect her.

In true Dingle style, Charity has a screaming
showdown with the law enforcers but her efforts
are completely in vain.

CRUEL ACT OF CHARITY Mar 27 2004

Emmerdale ITV1, Sun-Fri

By Tony Stewart, soapbox@mirror.co.uk

Apart from being told the pub has run out of beer and the social
has cancelled their Giro, these are the words the Dingles most feared.

'Tate DNA match - positive,' Zak read in the hospital, proving
that Charity's deceased husband is baby Noah's father. 'Chris's
all along,' Marlon, one of the other two possible fathers,
sighed. 'You can almost see him laughing.'

So how come nobody is smiling, least of all the infant?

Rejected by his maternal family because of Zak's twisted logic
that ''is blood is tainted', and fighting for his life in an
incubator, Noah's fate now becomes the key to his mother's
freedom. In a saga that has echoes of Corrie's Twisted Tracy
selling Amy, there seems to be a wicked cattle trade in human
misery in rural Yorkshire, too.

And it couldn't get much worse as Charity signs a contract
for Noah's lesbian aunt to adopt him. In return, she waives
her rights to the Tate millions, Zoe agrees to testify at her
appeal to overturn her wrongful conviction for murdering Chris
- and then bung in a cash bonus of £10,000.

A HARD BARGAIN

THERE'S nothing Zoe Tate would like better than
for her brother Chris’s widow Charity to
rot in jail for the rest of her days.

They may still share the same surname but Zoe now hates her sister-in-law
with a passion because of the way she treated Chris before his suicide.

But the DNA tests proving Chris is the father of Charity’s baby, Noah,
have left Zoe in turmoil.

She knows she has to cut a deal with her arch-enemy, so she offers
to change her evidence at Charity’s appeal in return for full custody
of her nephew.

" Zoe hates the idea of Charity walking free, but feels she must care for her
brother’s son," says Leah Bracknell, who plays the cold-hearted businesswoman.

Charity is thrilled, until Zoe insists she must also give up all claims
on the Tate estate - and never see Noah again.

" Zoe is determined to bring Noah up where he belongs," says Leah. "It’s a tense
negotiation. Zoe meets Charity at the hospital and offers her the papers to sign.
Charity first tells her to go to hell, but then caves in. But Charity makes Zoe
admit she knows Chris killed himself, and demands £10,000 before she signs.

" Zoe is delighted. Noah is a Tate and Zoe knows that this is what Chris would
have wanted her to do," says Leah. "She wants Charity right out of Noah’s life.
She intends to make sure that he never has anything to do with his wicked natural
mother."

The volatile vet has transformed into a hard-nosed
businesswoman since brother Chris’s untimely
death, shocking those who know her to the core.

On discovering that Chris has fathered his jailbird
wife Charity’s baby son Noah, Zoe is determined
to bring the tot into the Tate empire - by buying
him.

Knowing Charity can no longer bear the injustice
of being convicted of a crime she didn’t commit,
Zoe offers to change her damning evidence. But
in exchange for Charity’s freedom, Zoe intends
to take Noah and bring him up herself at Home
Farm.

So it is with great shock that Zoe realises
Charity cannot be bought quite so easily. Although
she agreed to meet the cruel businesswoman, when
Zoe arrives Charity tells her to stick the deal
and insists her son means more to her than her
freedom.

But when Zoe comes up with a new incentive of £10,000
plus her freedom to lure Charity into signing
little Noah over, can the desperate Dingle resist
the new offer?

EMMERDALE

Sun to Fri - ITV1
AFTER losing her millionaire husband and her liberty in a miserable
few months, Charity is nervously hoping for a change of fortune
as her appeal comes to court.

And she is absolutely elated when Zoe stands by their deal
and changes her evidence in exchange for Chris’s baby son, Noah.

Charity is delighted to be free, but young Debbie is devastated
when she finds out what her mother has done.

She slaps her, burns the £10,000 that Zoe paid Charity in exchange
for Noah, and tells her she never wants to see her again.

"Freedom feels fantastic," says Emma Atkins, who plays Charity, "but it comes
at a terrible price. She’s had to give up her baby to get out of jail. And now
it looks as if she has lost Debbie as well."

At the appeal court, Zoe’s name is called, but she isn’t there, and
Charity fears she isn’t coming. But just as the judge suggests they
move on, she arrives.

"It’s such a relief," says Emma. "And Zoe finally tells the truth and admits
that she thinks Chris committed suicide. Charity can’t believe what she is hearing
after all this time. She is free! She just bursts into tears, overwhelmed that
her terrible ordeal is over."

Cain rings the Dingles to break the good news, and when Charity
gets home the family head over to The Woolpack to celebrate.

"Charity is so happy," says Emma. "But then Zoe bursts in with the money and
warns her to stay away from Noah. Debbie suddenly realises what her mother has
done. Heartbroken, she slaps Charity across the face."

Debbie is absolutely furious and next day she finds the money Zoe
gave Charity and torches it on the barbecue in the yard.

"Charity is left scrabbling round trying to salvage some of it," says Emma. "It’s
awful. Cain says they can be together at last, but she’s not interested. He’s
a loser who has only dragged her further down.

"She asks Tom King for a job and he offers her a two-week trial as the
Kings’ new secretary. She realises this is her chance to get back on top and
means to take it."

As a former prostitute and convicted killer, Charity has done
more bird than a neck-wringer on a Bernard Matthews turkey farm.
While the prison service has failed to reform the gold-digging
harlot, surely her cunning adversary Sadie King will.

If it's true that blondes have more fun, then Sadistic Sadie
must be taking great delight in collecting enough gossip to drop
another bombshell on Charity's plan to bag herself millionaire
pensioner Tom King.

First, she's humiliated when her colourful past is brought up
at a posh friends and family dinner party. Then, after yet another
bust-up, Charity spectacularly quits her job by trashing the
office and shredding Tom's diary.

Well, at 65 and with Charity clinging on to him, it's not as
if he has a future to look forward to...

EMMERDALE

Sun to Fri (1hr special Tuesday) - ITV1

BOTH Sadie and Charity are desperate to be queen of the King
family, and superbitch Sadie now has some dirt on Charity that could put her
ahead of the game.

She discovers her arch-rival’s darkest secrets and is quick to tell Tom’s
conservative friends that Charity used to be a prostitute.

"Sadie acquires some interesting information from Nicola," says Patsy
Kensit, who plays Sadie. "Nicola wins a cleaning contract with the Kings and
as the two women celebrate, Nicola mentions what Charity used to do for a living."

Sadie is fascinated and pumps Eric Pollard for even more goss on Charity.

"She confronts Charity and asks her if Tom will approve of her history," says
Patsy.

She soon gets a chance to find out as Tom invites Charity to a dinner party
for some posh friends.

When Charity arrives she finds that Sadie has briefed all the guests on her
wild days and the talk keeps returning to her seedy past life.

"Charity goes ballistic," says Patsy. "Tom is furious with her for letting him
down and she leaves in disgrace."

Then, at work the next day, Charity clashes with Sadie and scrawls ‘I Quit’ in
lipstick on the office mirror and throws paperwork around.

Tom is angry when he walks into erupting chaos.

"But it doesn’t end as Sadie planned," says Patsy. "Tom tells Charity the past
is past.

"He asks her out for dinner. Charity happily accepts as Sadie fumes in the background."

The two blondes both want something from the other one - Nicola
wants a business contract and Sadie wants gossip on nemesis Charity.

Ever since Sadie arrived in the village she has been desperate
to find out everything she can about scheming Charity. Following
her interesting chat with Charity's dimwitted cousin Sam Dingle,
Sadie has already got a very good idea of the sort of person
Charity is, but her thirst for information has yet to be quenched.

Luckily for Sadie, there is no shortage of gossips in Emmerdale
- and Nicola has a particular enthusiasm for telling tales. So
when Sadie and her enjoy a celebratory glass of wine at Holdgate
Farm - where Nicola has just been given a lucrative cleaning
contract - the ditzy local is glad to get it all off her chest.

Armed with yet more scandal on Charity, Sadie decides to up
her quest to split up the burgeoning romance between the pair.